Meet a Local Cartoonist: A brief chat with Cara Gormally

by Mike Rhode

I only recently realized that Cara Gormally is in DC. I reached out to them for an interview. Since we haven't met in person, I'm going to quote from their website for this background information (and use the photo from there as well). 

Cara Gormally (they/them) is a cartoonist, researcher, and professor. Cara’s narrative nonfiction comics remix autobiographical stories with research about socio-scientific issues to make science relatable. Their comics have appeared in the Washington Post, Mutha Magazine, Spiralbound, and other places. Their debut graphic memoir, Everything is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder, a story about an unexpected healing journey to come home to themself, is forthcoming in April 2025 from Street Noise Books. A second book of braided comic essays about the emotional inheritance of estrangement is underway. 

A professor at Gallaudet University, in Washington, D.C., Cara is fascinated by questions about belonging. Their interdisciplinary research focuses on questions related to making science relevant and accessible to increase students' belonging in STEM. Cara studied philosophy at St. John’s College where they first became fascinated with questions about the ecology of home and belonging. Cara earned a Ph.D. at the University of Georgia. Cara has been honored to receive grants, fellowships, and artist residencies from the National Science Foundation, Playa Residency Fellowship, the American Association of University Women, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Hodson Trust Foundation. 

A DC metro area resident, Cara is an avid morning person, loves nerdy research deep dives, and has more questions than answers. 

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I make narrative nonfiction comics that remix autobiographical stories with research about socio-scientific issues to make science relatable. My debut graphic memoir is coming out April 15, 2025—Everything is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I am mostly a Procreate-on-my-ipad artist these days. But I do love some pen and ink when I’m drawing just for myself.

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I’m here for my day job—I’m a professor. I live in Maryland, near the DC border.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I’m mostly self-taught. I’ve taken several classes through the Center for CartoonStudies and Sequential Artist Workshop, as well as with some cartoonists directly. I love taking new comic-ing classes and connecting with comics community.

Who are your influences?

Oh, gosh, where to begin. I’d say for my graphic memoir, I had a few #goalbooks in mind: Erin Williams’ Commute; Teresa Wong’s Dear Scarlett; and Tessa Hulls’ Feeding Ghosts.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? Or rather, how are you hoping your career will develop?

If only I could make comics full-time—that’s the dream right? And, I do very enjoy many other parts of my career, so there’s that.

What work are you most proud of?

I’m so delighted and proud of my graphic memoir that is soon-to-be-released. It’s my book baby. So much has gone into making this book. It’s been a labor of love.

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

I’m excited to work on new projects; they’re still evolving, but one involves a kids’ graphic novel. I can’t wait to play with my comics style—I love how style evolves for different needs.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

So much of this is about trusting the process. One of my dear friends reminds me “we never regret rest.” I co-sign that for putting aside comics projects when needed.

What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?

I love graphic memoirs. I am big DC library fan and I also deeply love browsing local bookshops. Some of my favorites include Little District Books, Politics and Prose, Big Planet Comics, Busboys & Poets, Solid State, and Kramer’s.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I’m continually grateful for community here and I love the easy access to the outdoors, even in the city.

Do you have a website or blog?

https://www.caragormally.com/

Instagram @cara_gormally

My zoom book launch is happening on May 12 @7pm EST–sign up here for the zoom link!

Selected Press & Work 

Illustrated interview about Cara Gormally’s creative process | Spiralbound

An interview with Cara Gormally | Autobiographix

Biology professor is drawn to creating comics | Gallaudet Today

Making science more inclusive | Wall Street Journal

Cara Gormally's Everything Is Fine, I'll Just Work Harder comes out next week

#32 Book birthdays

Books & babies arrive early sometimes

Cara Gormally

Soft Things: Comics about science, research, & being human! Apr 03, 2025

https://caragormally.substack.com/p/32-book-birthdays

Description

One queer person bravely and creatively uses therapy to navigate the healing from the trauma of a past sexual assault

One day, during an ordinary early-morning run, Cara's watch dinged with a Facebook friend request. But when they checked the message, the photo slammed them backward in time and froze them in fear. Their rapist wanted to "friend" them.

Cara always had a long to-do list; always had many projects; always was busy. But as their rapist continued to send friend requests and tried to reconnect with them, they began to lose their grip on their work, projects, and relationships. But then Cara connects with a therapist who guides them through a long but powerful process of healing. And Cara works to desensitize, reprocess, excavate and relive the old wounds in order to move past them and heal.

Cara Gormally is a cartoonist, researcher, and professor. Their comics have appeared in The Washington Post, Mutha Magazine, Spiralbound, and other places. Cara is the recipient of grants, fellowships, and residencies from the National Science Foundation, the American Association of University Women, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They earned a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and is a professor at Gallaudet University. Cara lives in the DC metro area with their partner Andrea and their child.

Meet Sarah Firth of Australia - A Post-SPX Interview

For some reason she wanted me in her author photo

by Mike Rhode

 I briefly met Sarah Firth while she was signing her book at the Small Press Expo this fall. She continued on her US tour after selling out of her book that weekend. We reconnected via email after she returned home and here is the interview.

 But first, here's info about her and the book, lifted from her press release :

Sarah Firth (she/her) is an artist, writer, cartoonist and graphic recorder based in Wurundjeri Country, Melbourne, Australia. Sarah has received a Talking Difference Fellowship from the Immigration Museum, was a finalist in the Incinerator Gallery Award For Social Change and her comics have appeared in Eisner Award-winning and Ignatz-nominated anthologies.

Her debut graphic novel, Eventually Everything Connects – Eight Essays on Uncertainty was The Age’s Non-Fiction Pick of The Week, shortlisted for The Prime Minister’s Literary Award and listed as ‘One of The Best Graphic Novels Ever’ by Refinery29.

Eventually Everything Connects is Sarah Firth’s debut graphic novel, a collection of interconnected visual essays created over eight years. Sarah invites you into her wild mind as she explores ways to see with fresh eyes, to face the inevitability of change, and to find freedom in sensuality.

With raw honesty and vulnerability, Firth reminds us that the profane and the sacred, the tender and the cruel, the rigorous and the silly, all coexist in dynamic tension. This book is a delicious mix of daily life, science, philosophy and irreverent humour that is comforting, confronting and mind-expanding in equal measure.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I like to play and make all kinds of things, from comedic and gag comics, to slice of life and memoir pieces, academic comics, non-fiction essays and thought pieces all the way to fiction. I love thinking, exploring and making and my creative practice is very responsive to living.

I also work professionally as a graphic recorder, graphic facilitator, strategic visualiser and educator/trainer at workshops and live events. I utilize a lot of the comics making skill set in this work, but it is done live, fast and in response to or in co-design with the group as a facilitation tool. In real time it is more about listening, but the end product looks a lot like comics - though usually more like a spatial infographic or mind map. I use panels sometimes! It’s very emergent.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I work across mediums. Ink and watercolour on paper, to digital with Procreate on my iPad.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I’m an elder Millennial.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

 I have always drawn and been creative. I’ve also always written journals. I was classically trained as a sculptor, but a car accident changed that career path, and I turned to comics and animations as a creative outlet when I was injured. It’s a lot cheaper and faster than sculpture! I still don’t feel like much of a writer and have no formal training. I’ve mainly learned how to draw and write comics by reading them and work-shopping with other comics makers, particularly through The Comic Arts Workshop here in Australia. I work-shopped my debut graphic novel Eventually Everything Connects with them. And honestly, I couldn’t have made it without this community of talented, generous peers!

Who are your influences?

I have so many influences! I read very promiscuously. I love science communication writers like Ed Yong and Merlin Sheldrake. I like theory from James Carce such as Finite and Infinite Games, the works of Donna Haraway, Tyson Yunkaporta, Iain McGilchrist and Jack Halberstam. Hybrid works like Big Beautiful Female Theory by Eloise Grills make me feel like my work is possible. Comics-wise I love Lynda Barry, Sam Wallman, Joe Sacco, Lee Lai, Kevin Huizenga, Tara Booth, Rachel Ang, Eleri Mai Harris, Claudia Chinyere Akole and so many more!

What work are you most proud of?

I’m really proud of my debut graphic novel Eventually Everything Connects. It took 8 years of love and struggle. That’s the longest comics project I’ve ever done. 

So what is your new book about, beyond the PR blurb quoted above?

These interconnected graphic essays are one meta work that explores questions of living, of being in community, of loving and trying to make some sense of living in our hyper complex world where crises and destruction keep coming. It is part memoir, non-fiction, autotheory, science communication and a work of philosophy. Which sounds a bit wanky, but while the book chews on hard questions it is buoyed along with a lot of humour and enjoyable silliness too.

So far the responses to the book have been amazing with lots of readers getting in touch with me to say that the book has been a real tonic and balm to their existential dread and weariness. Helping them feel that they are not alone and that the world is still wild and wonderful in all kinds of ways. The horrors persist, but it so do I, that sort of thing.

Were these essays commissioned for a publication, or did you do them on your own?

I wrote and drew all of these from my free will, if it exists. I have submitted a few excerpts to online and printed journals and writing prizes.

How did you find a publisher?

It’s been a long road - especially given that my book doesn’t fit neatly into a genre. From 2019 - 2020 I submitted the work directly to publishers and got rejections. Then I eventually got approached by my Australian agent Jacinta Di Mase in 2021 and they submitted my book to publishers in 2022. More rejections came. I got to a point where I thought this book just wasn’t going to find a home. 

I was sad and stressed, so went off to the forest to chop wood and seriously think about letting the book go. I got to a point of being ready to let it die. I was chopping wood and burning pages when my agent called to excitedly tell me that Joan Press of Allen & Unwin wanted to acquire it. What a turn around!

The Aus/NZ edition came out in 2023. And then I got a US agent Dan Lazar of Writer’s House and he sold the international English rights to Graphic Mundi. The US edition came out in 2024.

How did you get to do a tour of America for the book?

I applied for multiple travel grants and luckily got two. One from Creative Australia and The Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund from Writers Victoria.

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

I want to keep on playing, collaborating on cool projects, making my own projects, drawing, writing and thinking, and see what emerges.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I often work on multiple projects at once so I can keep momentum and switch between them if I get stuck.

I also mainly work from home and find doing mundane tasks like washing, cleaning and gardening helpful for processing things unconsciously which can help break through blocks.

Other times I call a friend, journal, hike, walk and type on my phone, dance, move and exercise. Changing my thinking and body movement can really help with problem solving.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

At the moment in Australia, the appetite and recognition of graphic novels in all genres is growing. And more graphic novels are being made. Who knows where this will go, but it’s a very positive signal.

What cons do you attend besides The Small Press Expo? Any comments about attending them?

As a neurodivergent person I actually find conventions really hard! So I only do them very irregularly. They are so amazing for connecting and community building, but I get overwhelmed by the noise, movement and visual stimulus really quickly.

That said my SPX experience was amazing because I worked in tandem with my publisher Graphic Mundi, who sold my books all day, and I just had two booksigning windows and a panel over the two days. I cope way better when I have shorter time bound activities with a clear goal. And then I can go and rest in the quiet room or touch some grass outside. And then slowly make my way around to other people’s tables and panels.

Do you have a website or blog?

Website: http://www.sarahthefirth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahthefirth/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahTheFirthCreativeServices
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahthefirth
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahthefirth
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahthefirth/

How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you, personally and professionally?

Oh man, it totally gutted my work at first. As a professional graphic recorder, graphic facilitator, strategic visualiser and educator I mainly work in-person workshops and events. And they all got cancelled. It was panic stations for 6 months. Luckily in Australia we had some meager small business COVID relief grants that helped to keep me going. Eventually things migrated online, so luckily I could find work virtually, especially to help make online events less dull.

Here in Melbourne, Australia we had some of the longest and strictest COVID lockdowns. Luckily I had my partner, my cat and a stable home. We could both work remotely and isolate. Making comics, cartoons and working on my book were actually a key way I managed the stress, fear and isolation of those few years.

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Aayesha Ejaz

 by Mike Rhode

This year's DC Zinefest at the MLK Library had a handful of cartoonists tabling. One of them is Aayesha Ejaz, new to the DMV area. Her self-titled graphic autobiography is about growing up in India in an observant Muslim family, not fitting in, and succumbing to depression before overcoming it and moving to America. I recommend it highly, as well as her food-focused zines.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I mostly draw autobiographical comics to make things digestible and comforting for myself, and
the viewer. I share mundane things (for instance, how to make a makeshift pizza as a broke
college student!) in an endearing manner with humility and humor.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I work traditionally—I use a mechanical pencil for sketching, and then move to pens for inking. I  generally use a Pentel Fude Touch Sign pen for outlines, Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip pen for lettering and a Pentel brush pen for filling in. I prefer to color digitally on Procreate. Then I move to Photoshop for editing and InDesign for layouting.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in 1998 in New Delhi, India.

Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I recently moved for work from St. Louis to Fredericksburg—one small city to another!

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

This is a long story! I did my undergrad from the Indian Institute of Art and Design in Communication  Design—a mix of graphic design, UI/UX, animation, etc. The program allowed me to test my waters. Towards the end of my undergrad, I realized that the projects that I enjoyed the most involved illustration and storytelling.

During my final semester, my brother shared with me about a comic making workshop with Gabrielle Bell. The online workshop helped me learn the A-Z of comics—terms like “emanata” and “pacing” and allowed me to create characters even if they were just stick figures. I was amazed by how much one panel could encapsulate and how relatable everyone's personal narratives were.

I would often struggle with translating thumbnails onto a bigger page for a picture book, but with panels, things didn’t seem that intimidating. So after the workshop, I decided to enroll myself in grad school for illustration. I was admitted into the MFA Illustration and Visual Culture program at Washington University in St. Louis. The program focused on both writing and creating, whether it was comics, picture books, editorial illustrations or infographics.

Who are your influences?

I devoured the entire Captain Underpants series as a kid which validated my quirky sense of humor. I love Lucy Knisley, Malaka Gharib, and Liz Prince—I enjoy the humanized nature of their style and the infographics in their storytelling always makes things more interesting. I’m always in awe of Raina Telgemier’s books as well. Her work is the warm hug my younger self needed :)

What work are you best-known for?

My Makeshift Pizza comic/infographic! All thanks to Dan Zettwoch’s mentorship, and my grad school cohort for trying the recipe the weekend after the class critique.

What work are you most proud of?

The graphic memoir that I wrote and illustrated for my MFA thesis. Never thought I’d be able to share my thoughts and feelings with brevity (in a long-form comic book).

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

I definitely see myself illustrating more stories. I’d also like to explore surface design more—making prints, products and patterns with animals and faces to give my sketchbook doodles a home.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I keep trying—I keep writing, drawing or looking at similar stuff that already exists. I also share whatever I have with a friend or family member. Going for a walk and changing my environment also helps.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Awesome Con, or others? Any
comments about attending them?

Coming from Missouri, I’ve tabled at KC Zine Con, Cherokee Print Bazaar, SLICE and DC Zinefest. Tabling definitely gives one an idea about what sells, but the crowd has been different in all these places… I’m generally quite quiet at these events, but I’ve recently started interacting
with whoever stops by my table. 

What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?

I used to get my comics from Betty's Books (The best comic bookstore I’ve been to in the US so far) or the St. Louis Public Library. The summer of 2023 was my comics summer. Here are some of my favorites:  Blancaflor, The Hero with Secret Powers: A Folktale from Latin America by Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio García Sánchez; Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas; Snapdragon by Kat Leyh; In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee; Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed; Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka; and Iranian Love Stories by Jane Deuxard.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I’ve been here many times to visit my brother. I’ve always liked DC for its public transit, cleanliness and museums. And all the ice cream parlors, especially Pitango!

El Burro Loco from At The Edge of My Comfort Zone

 

How about a favorite local restaurant?

Pupatella!

Do you have a website or blog?

Yes! It’s www.eyeshacreates.com

How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you, personally and professionally?

I think COVID-19 strengthened my belief in drawing as a career option and creating for the greater good of humanity.

April 23: Jarrett Krosoczka - Sunshine: A Graphic Novel - A Live Reading at Arena Stage in partnership with DCPL and Arena Stage

Jarrett Krosoczka - Sunshine: A Graphic Novel - A Live Reading at Arena Stage in partnership with DCPL and Arena Stage

Sunday, April 23, 7:00 pm

Sunshine: A Graphic Novel (Paperback)

By Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Illustrator)

$14.99

ISBN: 9781338356311

Availability: Coming Soon—Pre-Order Now

Published: Graphix - April 18th, 2023

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Hey, Kiddo: A Graphic Novel (Paperback)

By Jarrett J. Krosoczka

$14.99

ISBN: 9780545902489

Availability: In Stock—Click for Locations

Published: Graphix - October 9th, 2018

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Click here to register. This is a free and open to the public event, however, registration is required. There will be limited walk- in registration if not at capacity.

Politics and Prose is delighted to partner with DC Public Library and Arena Stage for SUNSHINE: Live & Unabridged. Join National Book Award finalist Jarrett J. Krosoczka at Washington, D.C.'s historic Arena Stage for a live, unabridged reading brought to life via a multimedia presentation coupled with local performers. Part literary event, part experimental theater—this will be a truly remarkable evening!

Complimentary copies of SUNSHINE will be available courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation. Copies are available on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last at the event only. Books will be pre-signed by the author. Books will not be available for pickup before or after the event on April 23rd.

This program is presented in conjunction with D.C. Public Library's Know Your Power contest, sponsored by Pepco. Teens are invited to submit an original work of writing, photography, illustration, or music that expresses their feelings on a social issue that matters to them. Click here for more information about Know Your Power.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is a pioneer of the regional theater movement, and where multiple Broadway hits, including Dear Evan Hansen, Sweat, Next to Normal, and The Great White Hope, first premiered. Since 2005, Camp Arena Stage has nurtured artistic growth in young people aged 8-15, who discover their inner artists through dance, drama, writing, movie making, and more. Click here for more information on the 2023 Camp Arena Stage programs, which begin June 26.

About the Book:

The extraordinary—and extraordinarily powerful—follow-up to Hey, Kiddo.

When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn't it be depressing to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn't it be grim?

But instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. Not only was he subject to some of the usual rituals that come with being a camp counselor (wilderness challenges, spooky campfire stories, an extremely stinky mascot costume), but he also got a chance to meet some extraordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring.

Now, in his follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett brings readers back to Camp Sunshine, so we can meet the campers and fellow counselors who changed the course of his life.

About the Author:

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than forty books for young readers, including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of the Star Wars™: Jedi Academy series, and Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Krosoczka creates books with humor, heart, and deep respect for his young readers—qualities that have made his titles perennial favorites on the bookshelves of homes, libraries, and bookstores over the past twenty years.

Ages 13+

The Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle at Arena Stage

1101 6th Street Southwest

Washington, DC 20024